FIH Awards: Harmanpreet Singh wins Men’s Player of the Year, PR Sreejesh bags Goalkeeper of the Year | Hockey News
NEW DELHI: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced Indian hockey stars Harmanpreet Singh and PR Sreejesh as the Men’s Player of the Year and Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively, on Friday. The announcements came during the 49th FIH Statutory Congress held in Oman.
Harmanpreet, captain of the Indian men’s team, earned the Player of the Year award for the third time, having previously won in 2020-21 and 2021-22. He was the top scorer at the Paris 2024 Olympics, leading India to a bronze medal.
“First off, I would like to thank FIH for this great honor. After the Olympics, it was so great to go back home and have such huge crowds there to greet us and welcome us. It was a very very special feeling. I would like to mention my teammates, none of this would have been possible without you all. Special thanks to Hockey India as well for always giving us every opportunity to succeed at all levels. My wife and daughter are here today and receiving this award in front of them means the world to me. So thank you to everyone who made that possible!,” said Harmanpreet about the win.
Sreejesh, who retired after the Paris Olympics, received his third Goalkeeper of the Year award. He was instrumental in India’s bronze medal win, including a memorable performance in the quarterfinals against Great Britain.
“I am so happy today. Thank you for this last playing honor of my playing career. As most people know, Paris 2024 was the last tournament I played for my country and I just want to thank Hockey India for all the support and guidance offered over all the years I have played the sport. This award completely belongs to my team, the defense who made sure most attacks never got to me, and the midfielders and forwards who covered up my mistakes by scoring more goals than I conceded,” said Sreejesh.
The Netherlands’ Yibbi Jansen won the Women’s Player of the Year award, while China’s Ye Jiao won the Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.
